Thursday, March 31, 2016

Attitudes Toward Sexual Violence Survivors: Differences Across Professional Sectors in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sexual violence survivors who
decide to report their assault interact with health care, law enforcement, and
legal and judicial professionals. Professionals' attitudes about sexual
violence and survivors play an important role in caring for survivors and in
the pursuit of justice. Despite evidence showing the relationship between
service provider beliefs and survivor outcomes, relatively little is known
about professionals' beliefs about sexual violence or their attitudes toward
sexual violence survivors. Between June 2012 and December 2014, our study
examined the beliefs and attitudes of 181 professionals from the health care,
legal, and law enforcement sectors in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) and the Rift Valley region of Kenya, areas with a high prevalence
of sexual violence. To determine correlates of beliefs and attitudes about
sexual violence and sexual violence survivors, multiple logistic regression
models were adjusted for demographic and occupational characteristics. Respondents who agreed that survivors got what they deserved (7%) or that
survivors should feel ashamed (9%) were the minority, while those who would be
willing to care for a family member with a history of sexual violence (94%)
were the majority. Profession was significantly associated with beliefs and
attitudes about sexual violence and survivors. Law enforcement professionals
were more likely than health professionals and lawyers to indicate that
survivors should feel ashamed. Our findings suggest a need for interventions
that adequately address potentially harmful beliefs and attitudes of some
professionals serving sexual violence survivors.